An Illustrious Pair
by onceuponafanfic
Summary: Eli and Clare like each other. Eli and Clalre are oblivious to this. Eli and Clare both think way tooo much.    This story is about Eli and Clare.  p
1. In which nicknames are used

**A/N: This is my first attempt at any sort of fan fiction. I know, I know. It's pretty much copying the scene's down so far, I want to start it out slow. There will be speculative scenes in between canon scenes. This story is going to be MOSTLY Canon, although I may decide to speed things up ( I LOVE how slow they are taking things with EClare though.) **  
**Feel free to review, critique, or point out any typo's. I wrote this late, so please, any input would be helpful. Thanks for reading!**

I twirled the black sharpie between my fingers, contemplating which fingernail to color in first. The warning bell rang, signaling class would start in 3 minutes.  
I sighed, I was very rarely so early for class, but really, I had nothing better to do in between my art and advanced English class. My esteemed (hah, right.)  
classmates started filing in, mindlessly chattering with each other about, I can only assume, typical mundane high school drama.

I hear someone sit down with a plop behind me, a frustrated sigh, and the sound of a heavy backpack being dropped to the floor.

Somebody wasn't in a happy mood.

I turn to glance at the noisy sulk, and stare in surprise a minute too long that it's the same girl whose glasses I destroyed the day before.  
The one with the mesmerizing ocean blue eyes, who had...gotten laser surgery? I believe that's what she said. She was beautiful.

She stared up at me grumpily, "what?" she snapped at me.

Apparently she hadn't been as hopeful as she sounded when she'd said she'd see me around.

Or maybe she just didn't remember me...Maybe I, Elijah Goldsworthy, am not as memorable as I think, and maybe, just maybe, she didn't feel that deep connection,  
the chemistry, that I had felt flow between us just the day before..

**++flashback++**

_I get into Morty, my hearse, and pull out of the parking spot where I left him this morning to go to the first day of classes. School was boring, I really didn't pay any attention to the details.__Most of my classes involved prep for college, how grade 11 and 12 were the two years Universities most intensively scrutinized, ect.  
I would love to get out of my father's home, but College? I wasn't exactly sure.  
_

_There was so more more to life, to adventure, than studies. I turn on my stereo, "Problem" from the band The Job is screaming out my speakers.  
_

_Many people say they like loud, metallic music because it blocks out their thoughts, all they can focus on is the heavy bass, the fast paced drumming, the screeching vocals.  
But I find it puts my mind in hyper-drive. I think more clearly, more deeply. I notice details._

_Like the two girls fighting over something next to the street I was driving down._

_ I saw both their hands fly up, signifying a dropping motions, and I saw a glint of metal as it flew threw the air and right under my car. I stop, knowing it was too late. I get out of my car, curious about what I ran over, and more curious about the chances of having such perfect timing in running over..whatever it was just as it hit the ground.  
_

_It's a pair of glasses. I turn them over in my hand, and look up. _

_"I think they're dead." I stated, I am looking only at the pale girl, with light auburn curls. Something draws me to her. Draws my eyes to hers. An amused smile plays on my lips, and I hope I charm her into not being...angry. I'm good at that. _

_The pale girl with light, bouncy short hair looked at me almost nervously. "It's, it's okay." she said. She seemed out of breath. "I..don't need them anymore...got, uhm. ...laser surgery." _

_I peered at her closely, locking eyes with hers. For one moment everything expanded. Hey eyes were pristine, pure. The bluest eyes I'D seen, for sure. But something more._

_ "You have pretty eyes". I say casually, making sure I keep my semi-smirk in place. I always play it cool._

_If I show that someone got to me-in a bad way, OR a good way, than that was one less defense I had. One less shield._

_"Thanks" she said, smiling down and blushing. Cute. she looked up straight into my eyes again, something I wasn't expecting. "I'll see you around?" she asked. I thought I detected hope, but I was still going through inner shock of how powerful an effect this girl has had on me. "Guess you will." I say, getting quickly into Morty and driving off_

_ I glance in my rear-view mirror. Her and her friend are giggling. I smirk, confident now that I'm not stuck in her gaze. Confident, and maybe hoping, that I affected her much more than she affected me._

**++END FLASHBACK++**_  
_

I smirk and face the front, just as the bell signaling class to begin rang. I decided on my index finger first, I took off the cap and starting coloring. The English teacher, Ms. Dawes, walked into the room and started passing out papers, enthusing over our next assignment. We were to write letters. To whom, about what, was completely up to us.  
She handed GrumpyMcBlueEyes her paper, and then handed me mine just as Grumpy let out an indignant scoff.

I smirked down at my paper, which, of course, was A quality. English teachers and Art teachers both loved the same thing-passion and BS. I had been blessed with enormous amounts of both.

"Ms. Dawes, there must be some mistake. I've never gotten a 'C" before. How did this happen?"

Grumpy sounded genuinely indignant and confused, bless her. I ignored her and continued on my nails.  
"Well..your early writings were divine, but recently they have become..." Ms Dawes seemed to think through the best choice of words.

A sincere teacher, amazing.

"distant, impersonal." Grumpy hesitated, taking this in. _Just let it go, overachiever. It isn't the end of the world. .._Of course she didn't.

"I used complex sentence structure AND advanced vocabulary."

_oooh, good for you. _I couldn't help it, I rolled my eyes. Ms Dawes tried again.

"Yes..but your assignment didn't tell me about who you are. What you want! You can't hide behind vampire fiction forever."

Oooh, that's unexpected. Overachiever is into the vampy scene. "I'm not hiding." Vampylover said, defensive. "Prove it." Ms. Dawes challenged. "To your writing partner."

it took a minute for me to realize she was gesturing at...me? No way. I looked up at her with my best 'are you serious' face. "...Me?" I asked indignantly.

_Like I need someone to help MY writing, pfft._

"Yeah, you! you're a good writer but you're...a little wordy. You and Clare will be editing each other work this semester."

So, her name is Clare. It fit somehow, everything about her was..clear. Concise. Had so much Clarity to it.

"Great" I hear Clare said monotonously, shaking me from my reverie.

_Where had THAT come from?_ I'm not generally a sappy type, and this is twice now I've complimented her.

"That'll be fun." she said, obviously not thrilled. Ms. Dawes was thrilled with her idea.

"This might be a very special partnership we have on our hands! Oooh, Like Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes!"

_Hah, didn't Sylvia Plath kill herself though?_

"Sylvia Plath KILLED herself." Clare pointed out.

Heh, well that answers that question. I like this girl's style. The rest of class went by with nothing of interest happening. I pondered over my new English partner, Clare.  
She seemed oddly resistant to the idea of help. It was okay for ME to be resistant, because, come on? Wordy? You can never be too wordy. I get the feeling it's fun to mess  
with her though. I bet her eyes sparkle in annoyance too. Not that that matters to me, of course. ...Still, it'd be something to see. The bell rings and we both get our stuff together.  
I walk towards the exit and notice she's almost out the door. I speed up a little and we both meet in the doorway. I smirk and push my way past her, sneaking a glance at her face.

Hah! I was right. her eyes do sparkle. And she flushes red. Completely worth being an ass to her for.


	2. Ignorance isn't a gift, it's a lesson

**a/n: it's short, I know. I have a question. Would you prefer scene by scene chapter play, or longer chapters that have a few scenes in them?**

During lunch I sit in a secluded part of a hallway, by myself. I'm leaning against my locker as I write my letter for English.I have a twisted  
little smile on my face as I write a letter to Ms. Dawes, on my frustrations of being called too wordy, and how I thought she was oh, so wrong.

English teachers loved a debate,and I loved the controversy.

I finish my letter as the first bell rings, and watch students as they walk to their classes, my eyes scanning for someone...-ah! There she is.

I got up and strolled over to Clare, deciding against questioning why I found myself looking for her. "Hey, Clare." I gave her my favorite smirk when she turned  
around in surprise.

"Oh, hi" She looked flustered, to my delight.

My smirk widened into a grin. "Eli, you know. English partner?" Her eyes flashes with irritation. "I know that, I was just...caught off guard." "And why's that?" I teased,  
leaning against the locker next to her. I locked eyes with her, and against felt that chemistry, the electricity sparkle between us. My heart starts beating faster, but I ignore it.

"well?" Clare looked like she was in a daze. She jerked her eyes away from mine.

"You just don't seem like the type. I figured I'd have to track you down to get any work done."

Ouch. "Haven't you heard not to judge a book by it's cover?" I joked, smiling at her. She flushed and looked down.

"I'm sorry, I guess that was a pretty big judgment on my part."  
"No worries. So, do you wanna meet up after school to...work on our assignments?" I lowered my voice a little, trying to play off seductive Eli now.I loved her expressions.

She stared at me, searching my face for something. Maybe sincerity? She must have decided I meant what I said because then she frowned slightly, in disappointment.  
"I can't. Not today." There was almost a bitter edge to her voice. A hardening in her clear blue eyes that didn't seem to belong there. Something pulled down on my heart.  
But I'm not going to push this issue yet.

"Oh. well... I guess we'll just have to review each others works before class tomorrow." I give her a cocky grin, and lock eyes with her again. This is becoming addicting.

She flushed slightly but then, unexpectedly, smirked. She stared into my eyes, making my heart do gymnastics in my throat.

"Guess we will."

and with that, she walked away. I could have imagined it, but I swear I heard her chuckle at the fact she had thrown my words back at me.

I guess I'm not the only one who likes this game. I smiled and walked to my class, suddenly eager for tomorrow.


	3. Clare, in need of Clarity

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! I've changed the format around a bit, and will keep in mind to write longer chapters. **  
**This is my first attempt at Clare! I really wanted to get her character right, so again, any feedback is welcome!**

Clare's POV

I slowly walk towards my moms car, hesitant on what type of reception awaited me. I never knew nowadays. It's not that my life is so terrible.  
But it definitely has changed from the life I've always known. Which was, for all intents and purposes, perfect.

I suppose the tension in my family started a few years ago when my older sister, Darcy, was raped.

She was the sunshine of our lives, bubbly, confident, charming.

Nothing shook her faith. Nothing...Until someone slipped something into her drink, and her innocence, her faith,everything she  
thought that was good and right with her-was ripped away.

Things became increasingly difficult after that. I still feel guilty, yelling at her like I did, not knowing what she had gone through.

She had become the very anti to her being. She wore baggy clothing, snapped at my parents. She stopped attending church and her  
youth group and didn't bother to groom herself. She accused Mr. Simpson of terrible things. She stopped talking to me.

I had no idea that she was just filled and anger and hatred towards herself.

Until, of course, she tried to kill herself.

Ironically, while things were still bad, they started to..improve. Darcy let us in, and together, as a family, we worked through her issues.

Then, she left for Africa.

At first it wasn't so bad. I had my own room finally, and this was supposed to help hEr atone for her sins. She was going to be back at the end of the semester. She never came back. We don't even hear from her anymore, and it's been so long.

The first month that passed without any word from her was the first time I heard my parents scream at each other.

The third month was the first time my dad didn't come home until after midnight.

and so it continued, gradually getting worse.

I just wish I was like Darcy. This is why this is happening. I'm just...not enough. I see my mother staring at me, she has a small smile on her face,  
but I know better. Her eyes are strained. I can see the tension around her shoulders.

Dad hasn't been home yet.

I get into the car and give my mom a small smile. "Hey mom, how's everything?" She looked at me with her glazed, tense eyes and smiled. A contradiction.  
"Fine sweetie. I think Daddy will be home a little late tonight." I nodded, mostly to myself.  
"He's been gone a lot."  
My mom stole a glance at me, then kept her eyes on the road. "He's had a lot on his plate at work 's will calm down soon enough." But then she sighed, like even SHE didn't believe what she said.

We said no more the rest of the way home.

I stare blankly at the screen of my computer. I had know idea what to write about. I tried a few times, but immediately erased the work. It wasn't even worthy of Eli making fun of it. Eli. There's something about him, he's so aggravating, so...appealing. He makes my face flush and heart race, and I'm never quite sure if it's the chemistry I feel between us or the annoyance I feel at his absolute smugness. Maybe it's a mixture of both. I glare at my computer screen. The blinking cursor in the text box for my MS word document was driving me crazy. I count the number of it blinks within a minute. Still no ideas. Ergh, I needed to get out.

As I get up from my computer, I hear a bleep. I look over, and notice I still had Face Range minimized on my screen. Hmm..I click it open, and discover a notice.

**Eli Goldsworthy has requested you as a friend**

**Eli Goldsworthy has sent you a message: **Now you can't avoid me, English Partner. Can't wait until tomorrow, so you can read my amazing works and simmer with envy.

I stare at the screen, irritated, yet...smiling? I shook my head, and clicked "accept".

Just then, My dad came home, shutting the door hard and hanging up his coat, obviously preoccupied. My mom came into the room. She had on a cute, charcoal dress that fell just above her knees.

"Well? she said beseechingly. Obviously trying to get my dads attention.

"What do you think? It's for the fundraiser tomorrow."

I looked at my beautiful mother, her hopeful look at my preoccupied father, and felt pity.

"You look great mom."

She smiled.

"Thanks, honey." She stared at my father. "Well?" She asked him directly.

"What? ..Oh. The dress, It's fine." He said dismissively.

My mom glanced at me then started talking in hushed tones to my father. They started bickering more. I became annoyed.

"You guys are fighting again."

My mom looked over at me. "No sweetie. We aren't. we're just..disagreeing."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

And then they were gone. Arguing, as always, in the other room.

This would never have happened if Darcy was here.


	4. English is Harder than it looks

**a/n: Thanks to those who reviewed! know this storyline is going slow, but I'm going to start speeding things up (hopefully). Reviews are forever appreciated!**

**Clare POV**

I wake up with my pillow on my head, which in general is the opposite of what most people consider normal. I stare blankly at my wall for several minutes,  
hoping that by some miracle, my parents had talked things out.

My parents didn't shout or throw things or get violent, but, such has my life been until recently that the elevated voices coming from  
the next room kept me on edge and up all night. I strained to hear what they were saying, hoping for an opportunity, a sign, to present itself that will show me  
how to make things right again.

No such thing happened.

I roll out of bed and get dressed. As my eyes fall on my neglected computer I realize I had completely neglected my English project in order to listen to a fight I didn't even understand.

Well, this was just peachy.

I rushed downstairs and through the door, with a quick 'love you!' and 'bye!' to my mom, who was sitting at the kitchen table, looking into the distance. I'll worry about it later.

I get to school somewhat early. Good. As I sit on my ball, typing furiously away before the bell rings, I hear a voice.

"SEE THIS? It's CALLED a phone. And Best friends answer it!"

Alli. Of course.

I SO am not in the mood for this

"I'm sorry Alli, I'm busy working on my English assignment right now. I'll talk to you later." I look up briefly to see her pouting, petulant face.

"But…who will I get boy advice from?

_Not me. _"How about a boy?" I asked, trying to shake her off.

She considered this, and slyly smiled.

"Clare….Dave is….kind of a boy, right?"

I ignore her. Dave was not who I would choose, considering how he obviously felt for Alli, but Alli has always made her own messes.

I have enough messes of my own to clean up currently.

The rest of the class passes by without me paying any attention, focusing all my energy onto my Letter. It was terrible, I know, but I was out of ideas. The bell rings and I print out the letter. It was to Principal Simpson. I said I respected the changes he's put into place, and felt he would be a great principal, contributing many great things.

This was true, don't get me wrong, but I repeated myself, it sounded forced, and honestly I just wasn't that _passionate_ about Principal Simpson. Eli would be brutal.  
I feet my heart quicken as I think his name.

Probably just the dread.

**Eli's POV**

I'm early. Again. This is becoming a terrible habit. I watch the door intently. I couldn't wait to see Clare again. Not because I liked her, really. I just loved how easily I got under her skin, and how she didn't take shit from anyone. Including me. It was entertaining.

She walks through the door looking…nervous? That's new. She spotted me instantly and…her face fell a little. Ouch. That…hurt more than I'd like to admit. I decide on the cocky approach, as always.

"What, not happy to see me? Embarrassed about how dull your paper will be in comparison?" I smiled widely.

Her face scrunches. Oh, so…so that is what it is.

Damn.

Now I have to be nice about it.

"Just read it." She thrusts the paper towards me. I raise my eyebrows, and start reading.

She sits on the desk in front of me, playing with her fingers. She's staring at me intently, and I feel exposed.

I take a bite of my apple, slowly, and act casual. She starts to get impatient. I take another bite.

Her paper sucks. It wasn't so much the writing. It was obvious she had talent. But there was no passion, you could tell even she was bored writing this paper.

"Well?" she demands.

I look up at her.

"uh-"

She sighs loudly. "Awkwardly constructed and full of hyperbole"

Well, somewhat. But I could tell she'd made up her mind on the matter. So I decide to make a little joke.

"The title's centered?"

She laughs, and then stares down broodingly. There is definitely more going on with her than she lets on.

"Ms. Dawes was right, I have writers block!"

I get an idea. A way to get under her skin. Maybe her eyes will flash, and her pale skin flood with color with indignation.

"So don't turn it in."

She scoffs.

"And what, tell her the dog ate my homework?"

I lean forward, smiling wickedly. I can't seem to help myself

"Or, you could take off."

"What, like skip?"

"If you want to get official." I take another bite of my apple and lean back, excited for her reaction.

She stares down at her snack container. Hmm. She looks...thoughtful?

"That WOULD give me time to work on a better paper."

Wasn't expecting that. The warning bell rings, and I make one more effort to elict a beautiful response.

"Decision time; stay or go?" I weigh my hands up and down.

She looks up and…smiles? I stare unbelievingly as she gets her things, gets up and walks to the door. She turns and smiles at me mischievously.

"Well, are you coming?"

I untwist my shocked expression. And smirk. I give a shrug, put the apple in my mouth, and take off with Clare.

This should be interesting.

It always is with Clare.


	5. Realizations

**A/N: I've been prettY busy lately, which is why this took a while. I also have been making an effort to make longer chapters. =)**

**I'll be continuing this story as much as I can, but as I work full time and am starting back up at school full time as well I can't promise huge chapters. However, reviews are a great motivator for me! Positive/negative, just please be respectful! **

Clare's POV

I feel exhilarated. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins as Eli and I both hurry out of the school to his car. He smiles for once, a smile so sweet, and pure, I wouldn't have thought it could come from someone as…as what? What did I really know about this boy? He had an infuriating, mysterious, and…exciting? Smirk. He was witty and eloquent, and always seems to have a sarcastic response poised and ready. He drove a hearse, and he wore black and listened to heavy music. But his true self, how he felt, his emotions…I knew nothing of. It's unfair of me to cast this stereotype on him without knowing his heart.

"Well, are you getting in?" My eyes snap back to reality, and focus on…Eli, smirking. Gloating almost. He's opened the door of his hearse for me, and giving me that infuriatingly intoxicating smirk. At least he hasn't said anything about me staring at him for who knows how long. I roll my eyes at him and slide onto his plush seats. It makes sense to me, that a car that was made for transporting the dead would have such comfortable seats. One would think the living would be uncomfortable enough.

Truthfully, the hearse doesn't faze me. I was curious—How does one even AQUIRE such a vintage specialty car? But that, I am realizing, is part of Eli's magnetism. Everything, from his guitar pic necklace to his carefree attitude to his dark smirk to his car was an absolute mystery.

A useless bit of information about me: when I was young, two of my favorite children's series were Nancy Drew and Box Car Children. They're both older series, but I couldn't get enough of them. Most of the time, I figured out the mystery before the book revealed it. Most of the time, I was right.

Needless to say, I just can't resist a good mystery.

I hear a door slam and the car tip with the weight of another person getting in. I look over at Eli, and smile. He smirks back and asks where I'd like to go. I contemplate for a bit.

"The Dot. It'll have food, or coffee, or more snacks for us, and, since school is going on it'll be mostly quiet, giving us time to work on our essays." He looked amused when I said this, but said nothing. Part of me, just a tiny part, was disappointed.

Eli's POV

I open Clare's door for her after we arrived at The Dot. Clare's eyes question my motives, even while she's smiling.  
" Don't worry, I'm not suddenly becoming a gentleman."

No, I had parked at The Dot and gotten out of Morty. Clare didn't, instead, she absent-mindedly watches me. Just like she had before we left. It's funny, when we first scurried out of the classroom, both amazed at her daring, I could almost hear her heart pumping. Then, as we got to Morty, it was like she was distracted with a much more important issue, something completely encompassing.

I bet it was me.

A part of me that I don't listen to tells me that I need to change "bet" to hope", but, with my usual finesse, I ignore it.

I follow Clare into The Dot, watching her hair bounce with each graceful step she takes. She has fantastic hair, hair that makes you want to just run your hands through it. It's so…touchable looking. I reach a hand out and get halfway to her hair when she turns and smirks at me. I freeze, caught.

"What were you about to do?" She's smirking at me. I love how she doesn't let me get away with anything. Unless…

"Your hair is amazing." I say smoothly, "I just wanted to see if it was as soft as it looked."

In my experience, sometimes the best way to win a battle of wills is to use the "Ockham's Razor" approach. That is—the most obvious answer is the correct one.

Clare's lips tightened, her eyes glistened and narrowed slightly, and I knew I won this round. She was trying hard not to blush. Pink colored her cheeks slowly, gradually becoming more vibrant. I grinned widely. I was pretty sure I could spend forever making Clare blush. I was pretty sure I'd like to try, anyway.

"We were going to work on our assignments?" I ask, a hint of suggestion in my voice. She nods and shakes her head, just a little. She probably doesn't even think I noticed. Clare walks out of The Dot, I'm guessing because she forgot she wanted to get a drink. She sits on the bench and looks over at me expectantly. I stroll over and throw one leg over the bench, then the other, sitting on the top part, where most people rest their backs. I smirk down at her and she rolls her eyes at me. We exchange the papers we've already had graded. I steal glances at her, but she's just frowning in confusion. I read her essay. No passion, nothing that says it's Clare. Hm. I glance down at her again, where she's now looking somewhat irked. I smirk.

"Wow, skipping school to do school work, exciting." She ignored that jab and spilled what was irking her.

"I can't understand why you got an A while I got a C."

Oh, this again.

"Simple." I wait until she glances up at me, and look into her eyes and state the obvious. "I'm dating Ms. Dawes." She sighs, frustrated , and I laugh quietly. However, something about her demeanor…it makes me want to take this seriously. I'm starting to get suspicious of myself.

"You're a good writer but anyone could have penned this piece." I stated, completely serious. "There's no point of view."

She looked miffed. "I wrote about Gun control. I said it was good!" I give her the smirk I know makes her face flush "OOoh, controversial" I say, sarcasm dripping.

"WELL, what should I write about?" Clare asks, exasperated.

Me.

"Something…that pisses you off." I say slowly, trying not to grin at my own egotistical thoughts, and trying to give Clare honest feedback.

"Besides my English Partner?" she throws at me. She can be so feisty.

I smile and chuckle softly, then lock eyes with her. I feel the connection between us growing, and I get an uneasy feeling I've been misjudging how in control I was of my emotions for her. This seems to be confirmed when I speak without thinking, just responding to the feeling of remorse that shook my body unexpectedly

"If you could change one thing, what would it be?" my voice is soft, sincere. This isn't good. She's getting through my defense mechanism much too quickly.

She's looking at the ground now, sadness emanating off of her and for a split second I have to control the urge to slide down next to her and comfort her.

"My parents." She said suddenly. I frown. She doesn't seem like someone who'd have parental issues. She glanced at me and back to the grown and kind of smiled slightly, as if embarrassed with herself.

"They're…not exactly getting along."

She's upset about this, more than she wants to let on. "So, write about that." I state baldly. I'm trying to pull myself together still, yet part of me is hanging on every sound, every word she utters. My entire being into trying to understand her.

"I can't! It's personal." She looks shocked. I grin, finally seeing an opening in which to regain my composure entirely. "

You care too much about what people think." I goad her. Her eyes flash at me

"I do not!"

I'm having fun again

"Then prove it." She looks at me questioningly. "Scream, at the TOP of your lungs." She stares at me bewildered. Then, amusingly, she straightens up, looks around, and …

"AhhHHHHhhhhh….." ….Pathetic. I look at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Is that the best you can do?"

She sets her jaw stubbornly and looks away. I smirk, thinking I've won this round when…she's standing up?

I stare at her, and she looks back at me gloatingly. And then she was screaming. My face registered shock for one moment, then turned into a look of appreciation. She was amazing. She ended wit a flourish, stomping her foot a little bit and turning to me, eyes sparkling with triumph and excitement, She stunned me.

"Well, you next!" What? …oh. Screaming. I tried to shake off the stunned feeling I got from looking at her.

"Nah, Not really my style." And suddenly she was after me, harassing me and we were laugh as I backed into …something, I wasn't paying attention and grabbed Clare's wrists as she tripped into me, holding her up.

I'm staring into her eyes again, and the energy between us is chaotic, intense. I need be closer to her, and, without thinking I lean my head closer to hers, ever so slightly.

And just like that the spell is broken. She pulls herself away and I let go of her instantly, hands up. She turns and walks a few paces away quickly before facing me again and smiling shyly. I smile back.

I can't ignore it anymore. This girl is breaking my defenses down.

And I don't know how to stop it.

More terrifyingly—I don't know if I want to.


End file.
